Skin and Feathers
by ILOVENICO1000X
Summary: Seventeen year old Lola has always hated birds, but after strange incidents, she suddenly gets the ability to talk to them. She wakes up one morning in the middle of the forest, not knowing where she is and meets a certain pair of party birds who are determined to help her find her way home. Join Lola on this hilarious adventure filled with humor, friendship and love.
1. Chapter 1

_Okay guys...here's the thing...I deleted Planting Flowers because well...it kinda sucked and I'm not proud of it at all! I really want to finish it but I don't know how and I need help! So if anyone wants to give me some ideas and stuff PLEASE help me! I'm a horrible person/author! I'm SORRY! Maybe someday I'll get to finish it but I don't think anyone's going to really miss it too much anyways (at least I hope not) so I decided to just move on with my next story and believe me, I'M GOING TO FINISH IT because this story is by far the coolest story I've ever gotten to write! The idea is great and it's my first time writing in 1st person so I hope I do good! Okay, enough of my rambling, I'll let you read my new story: Skin and Feathers! :)_

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I wish I could tell him. I really do. Ever since we moved into this tiny house. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a kitchen. That was it. No T.V, no computer…well except for the one my dad uses for work, but that's off-limits. We moved here a month ago and oh how I wish we could go back. I liked my home in Louisiana; beautiful country roads, fresh smelling lakes. Every time I walked out the front door a smile came to my face. Our old home was beautiful. We lived in a big, white house with a basement (that was my bedroom) and an actual backyard and _two _bathrooms. It was perfect for the three of us: me, my dad, and my mom. But since my mom died about four mouths ago, we decided to move.

So here we are; in the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In our tiny new home. Why we moved to Brazil I have no idea, but I think it has something to do with a huge job offer my dad got. He couldn't turn it down and when he found out the job would require him to move to Brazil, it was a little too late for him to say no. Ever since he got the job he has been working non-stop; barely ever home to talk to me. But now that he was home for the day, I kind of wish he was back at work.

"I mean, think about it Lola! This is a whole new experience for us. Did you get to see the beach yet? It's gorgeous! Did you see the Christ statue? It's amazing! My boss told me about how that was made…" Blah blah blah. Onto his non-stop ramblings about everything I couldn't care less about. "…it's truly amazing! Oh, and did I tell you about the _gorgeous _Quetzal that came into the Sanctuary today?" Yup, my dad works with birds. I _hate _birds. The way they poop on everything, including people. They're just dirty little creatures that I can't stand to be near. This is why I never go with dad to work. He works in the Blue Bird Sanctuary where he helps take care of sick and injured birds. I don't know why there's a sanctuary for birds. Endangered tigers…ant eaters maybe but birds? Who cares if birds are hurt or killed? It's not like they do anything for us humans anyway.

I snapped out of my thoughts because dad looked like he was about to pass out. "Dad, why don't you sit down and take a few breaths." I couldn't help but smile; he gets so caught up in talking about work that he forgets he needs to breathe. He nodded and sat down across the table from me.

"So, what did you do today?" He asked, looking at me in curiosity.

I shrugged, "What I always do; read." We've been here a month and I've never even been to the beach.

Dad made a face and I raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed, "I think you should go out and do something. Meet new people."

"Yeah I know dad. You say that everyday." He has always been nagging me to go out, and when he says 'meet new people' he really means 'meet a guy'. I've never in my life had a boyfriend and I'm seventeen. I don't know why; I guess it's just I've never fallen in love with a boy. Never met anyone special. Not that it bothered me; I'm perfectly happy with my collection of books.

"You know, Linda, one of the owners of the sanctuary, also owns a book store." This caught my attention. He must've noticed because he grinned when he said, "I can show you where it is."

I smiled and nodded, "I'd actually like that."

"We can go right now if you want." He stood up and I looked at him confused.

"Don't you think we should eat dinner first?"

He shrugged and asked, "Well are you hungry?"

"A little." I said.

"What do you want?" He asked and sat back down. I gave him a 'what do you think?' face and he rolled his eyes, "Don't you get tired of pizza?" I smiled and shook my head and he said, "Fine, but I'm making myself a burger then."

I watched him as he got up and went to the fridge. The best thing about my dad was that he knew how to cook. But instead of making me a five-star meal, I always insist on pizza because it's my favorite. Not the store brand pizza, my dad's pizza. He makes it from scratch with his 'secret sauce'. He won't tell me what it is, of course, but it sure was good.

My phone suddenly vibrated the table making me jump. I picked it up and read 'New Text Message from Annie'. Annie. My partner-in-crime, best friend. We've been best friends since kindergarten. During lunchtime I was eating a sandwich and she walked up to me and took it right from my hands. I don't know why but it was okay because I punched her right in the face. I got in a lot of trouble but we immediately became best friends after that.

I looked at the text message and it said, 'Hey, how's Rio?'

I shook my head and hit 'Reply', saying, 'Boring; there's not much to do here.'

After a few seconds, my phone went off again and I opened the text message, reading, 'Really? Cuz isn't Rio like the party city of the world?'

Hitting reply again, I typed, 'Yeah, but you know me. Not much of a partier.'

After another few seconds, she said, 'Right. How's your dad and his new job?'

'He's good and he loves his new job. Even if I don't.'

'Why?'

'He works with birds…'

'Gotcha.'

'Yeah, but he's taking me to a bookstore after dinner.'

'You and your books. Why don't you go to the beach?'

'I don't know.'

'You could meet a hot, surfer dude.'

I rolled my eyes and replied, 'I'm good.'

'Let's video chat.'

'Can't. I gotta eat soon. But we can talk later.'

'K, well have fun at the book store…' I can almost hear Annie stifling a laugh. She's not much of a reader. The only thing she reads are magazines.

'Thanks.'

'Later.'

I put my phone down on the table and looked up at dad who was making his burger on the stove. I smiled wickedly and asked, "So dad, you meet any _female _co-workers yet?" I pressed my lips together in a line to keep from laughing. My dad's kind of a hopeless romantic; he seems to think he will never find someone like mom ever again. And he's right; there is no other woman out there like mom, but he could still date.

"How many times have I told you; when I meet someone special you'll be the first to know." He said without even turning around.

I rolled my eyes a little and muttered, "Better." He smiled and set the pizza in front of me. I breathed in its wonderful scent before picking up a piece and putting it in my hungry mouth.

After we finished eating, my dad grabbed his keys and led me out the front door. I looked around and sighed. Our neighborhood was small. I mean _small_. We kinda lived in an alley or that's what it seemed like. We had neighbors but they would all sit inside and watch soccer games while drinking. Their kids were all too little for me to hang out with so I never engage in any activity with the neighbors. They were all very welcoming when we first came, but after a week they went on with their lives, barely acknowledging us. So needless to say, I kinda enjoyed sitting in my solitary house, away from people.

Me and my dad walked out of the alley, onto the sidewalk of a more busier street. The cars slowly drove past us. My dad owns a car, but we only use if we need to go on the far side of the city. It's kinda hard to drive in the city, so we just walk. Exercise is good for people anyway.

We walked down the street for a while, just taking in the passing cars and people. The people in Rio were so nice, I can't say I don't love it. They always smiled at me for no reason. I find it comforting.

After about fifteen minutes of walking, we finally made it to the bookstore my dad was talking about. We opened the door and heard a small bell ring above us. A small, red headed woman with glasses walked forward with a kind smile, "Hank, it's good to see you."

My dad smiled back, "You too! This is my daughter Lola." I smiled sweetly and shook the woman's hand.

"Linda." She grinned, "It's nice to meet you."

"You too." I nodded and looked around.

She noticed my expression and said, "I see you're a lover of books?"

I chuckled a little and nodded, "I love to read."

"That's good." She smiled, "Feel free to look around."

"Thank you." I smiled kindly and walked over to the nearest bookshelf while my dad and Linda talked quietly. I picked out and interesting looking book and flipped through it. I suddenly saw something blue out of the corner of my eye and looked over to see a large blue bird sitting on the table next to me. I screamed and threw the book in the air and jumped away from the table. I was able to catch the book and I aimed it at the bird threateningly, "Don't…don't you come near me." I breathed hard and the bird squawked fearfully.

Linda suddenly came running over quickly followed by my dad and she exclaimed, "Is everything okay?" The bird fluttered upwards, making me scream again, and landed on her shoulder. She was looking at me in confusion.

"I…I had no idea you h-had a _bird_." I said the last word through my teeth.

Linda stared at me in shock and looked at my dad, who smiled sheepishly, "She doesn't really like birds."

Linda nodded understandingly and looked at me apologetically, "I'm sorry he scared you. This is Blu, he's really nice; he won't hurt you."

"It's fine, I'm fine." I breathed heavily and swallowed in an attempt to calm myself down. "I-if you don't mind, I uh I think I'm going to go home." I looked away in embarrassment.

"Lola, can't you just look around for a little bit longer?" Dad asked hopefully. I could tell he wanted to just burst out into wild fits of laughter.

I sighed through my nose and ran my fingers through my waist-length blonde hair. "Okay, I'll go look over there." I quickly walked past my dad, Linda and the bird and went to the other side of the bookstore. My cheeks were red in embarrassment. Now you see why I can't stand to be around birds. They scare me.

I was looking at a book when a sudden noise to my right got my attention. I was almost afraid to look, fearing it would be another bird, but there was nothing there. Shrugging, I returned my attention back to the book when the noise came again. It sounded like someone was shuffling books around on the shelves. I looked around but there was nobody around me. I peeked around the shelf and saw Linda offering my dad some coffee. My brows came together in confusion as I turned around, to look on the other side of the shelf.

I just about peed my pants.

There, standing right in front of me, was a women. An elderly women. An elderly women that was not there before. She was short and thin; very frail looking. She had on a long dark blue, cloak-like shirt that dragged onto the floor. She also had purple bonnet on, covering her eyes. What really stood out the most, was the long, sequined necklace that was sewed into her cloak. It was a gold chain that wrapped around the collar of her cloak, and it had a bright orange gemstone in the middle. The gemstone really caught my eye because of how bright it was; the hues of orange created a captivating appearance. There was also something carved onto it. You could barely see it, but it was there. A picture of a bird. Before I could examine the picture more, the woman shoved a book in my face.

"Read it!" She hissed.

I stared at in in confusion; not sure if I should take it or not. She shoved it at me ultimately forcing me to take it anyway. She suddenly began chanting something. I couldn't really make out what she was saying but it was weird. The whole thing was all too weird. I felt really uncomfortable to say the least. She stopped chanting and just stared at me-well more like faced me, I still couldn't see her eyes.

"Tonight at midnight. Read it!" Then, as fast as she appeared, she was gone.

* * *

"A book? That's all she gave you?" Annie's face showed an expression of disappointment, even through the computer screen.

"Yeah, that's it." I shrugged indifferently.

"Well read it!" She smiled excitedly.

I gave her a surprised look, "No!"

"Well why not?"

"I don't know, what if it's bad or something?" I brought my hair over my left shoulder and stroked it nervously.

Annie pursed her lips and shrugged, "What could be so bad about it?"

I sighed through my nose and shook my head, "You didn't see this lady. She was really creepy. Like crazy creepy!" She gave me a 'really' face and I rolled my eyes, "Seriously, what lady comes walking into a library wearing a blue cloak with a necklace thing sewed onto it, then hands a random girl a book telling her to read it at midnight?"

"Maybe she's a witch!" Annie's eyes widened and she gasped jokingly.

"A witch? How many fantasy fiction movies have you been watching since I left?" I raised an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Only like sixteen." It was my turn to give her the 'really' face and she slumped, "Okay fine, seventeen. But in my defense, Harry Potter is a good movie!"

I rolled my eyes a tad and muttered, "Typical Annie."

She giggled, "You know it! So anyway, she wants you to read it at midnight? For what?"

I shrugged, "I honestly don't know."

"What does it look like?"

I pulled open a drawer and pulled out the old and ripped book. It was a dirty brown color with sequined Egyptian designs all over the cover. But the biggest thing that stood out was the bright orange gemstone in the middle of the cover with the image of a bird on it. I held it front of the computer screen so Annie could see it and her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Wow. Looks old…" She titled her head a little.

I nodded and whispered, "Creepy huh? This is the exact same gemstone that was on the lady's necklace."

"I'm telling' ya! She's a witch!" Annie stated matter-of-factly.

I sighed with a shake of my head, "Right."

"So are you gonna read it?"

The very thought of reading the book scared me. It didn't look like a book I would normally read. "I don't know…what if it brings back the dead or something? I don't wanna wake up tomorrow morning with a dead guy who's not dead anymore in my bed."

Annie scoffed, "Please…you call me a fantasy freak!"

"Well…" I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration, "It could be bad or something."

"I'll read it!" She smiled knowingly.

I shook my head sarcastically, "Right. Maybe if you were here…" I hinted with a small smile.

She laughed a little, "Hey, I'm gonna come visit next summer!" I nodded with a smile and she added, "Anyways, back to the situation on hand, did you tell your dad about it?"

"Well I showed him the book and he just looked at me as if I were crazy. But I didn't tell him about the lady."

Annie yawned and rubbed her eyes, "So what are you gonna do?"

I yawned too and stretched, "I'm not gonna worry about it. I'll put it away and I just won't think about it. I'm too tired anyways."

"So you're not gonna read it?" I shook my head and she said, "What if something bad happens because you didn't read it?"

"What if something bad happens because I _did _read it?" I asked rationally.

She just rolled her tired, droopy eyes and mumbled, "Whatever. Do what you wanna do girl, I'm going to bed. Talk to you tomorrow?"

I nodded and said, "Goodnight Annie!" Then, turned off my computer and crawled into bed. I looked back at the book laying on the desk by my computer and sighed. I got out of the bed, picked it up, and threw it in the drawer, hoping I wasn't making a huge mistake.

Just as I began to walk back to my bed, I had the weirdest feeling. Like, someone was watching me kinda feeling. It was enough to create goose bumps on my skin. I took a deep breath and slowly walked over to the window. I was prepared to lose my urine if I saw a face appear out of the darkness. Fortunately for my sake, there was nothing. I still had that feeling though, that feeling that made all the hairs on my neck stand up. There was someone watching me. I don't know where, or who it was, but I just knew there was someone outside, just staring at me. I could feel their eyes digging into my skin.

Finally I couldn't handle it anymore, I locked the window, shut the curtains, and crawled into bed with a metal baseball bat in my hand.

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_What'd you think? I realize it may be a little boring but it will get better I promise! I really think you guys are gonna like this...if you don't then I really do suck! :( But please don't be mad at me for deleting PF! I really did try!_

_'heavy sigh' I still feel really bad about it! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! Someone help me!_

_Okay, I need to stop freaking out and let you review...how'd I do?_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey! I got this up fast didn't I? I told you I was excited for this story! Haha So lots of stuff happens in this chapter but it's not till next chapter when Nico and Pedro come in that it will be awesome! Haha so anyway, ENJOY!_

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Sunlight crawled into my eyes before I had a chance to even open them. When I did, however, I immediately shut them, wishing I had more time to sleep. I threw the pillow over my face in an attempt to create darkness, but the immense light beaming into my window was too powerful. I threw the blankets off me and slowly sat up, rubbing my eyes and stretching tiredly. My hand suddenly landed on something hard and I looked down and saw a metal baseball bat laying next to me. The events from last night began to flood into my mind. The elderly women, the necklace, the book, that immense feeling of being watched, it was all too freaky for my mind to take in. I knew that if I thought about it too much I'd get a headache, but my mind wouldn't stop. Who was that lady? Would she come after me because I didn't read the book? What would I do if I did run into her again? The very thought of seeing that woman made me tremble. Even if it wasn't cold in my room I still had goose bumps.

I took a deep breath and slowly got out of my bed. I took extra notice of the window, making sure it was still locked. It was. I put the bat on the bed and cautiously walked over to my desk. I stared at the drawer where I knew the book was resting. I swallowed thickly, feeling another tremble coming on. I shook my head. It was just a book. Why am I freaking out over it? Maybe it was the fact that the lady told me to read it last night, and I didn't. What if Annie was right? What if something bad does happen because I didn't read it? I sighed heavily and opened the drawer. Sure enough, the book was still there. So it wasn't a nightmare. I stared at the book, just waiting for something to happen. As if it would start talking to me. Yeah, right.

"Lola? Are you up?" I heard a knock at my door and my dad's voice from behind it. I quickly shut the drawer and walked over to the door calmly opening it up.

"Hi dad! I thought you had to go to work?" I looked at him curiously. He wasn't in his usual work uniform, he was wearing some regular faded jean shorts and a plain t-shirt.

"I had off today. Get your swimsuit on, we're going to the beach." He smiled sappily.

I frowned, "But dad I don't-"

"Ah ah! I don't wanna hear it! You're going whether you want to or not!" He gave me a stern look and I sighed in defeat.

"Fine."

My dad grinned and patted my shoulder, a gesture that shows he's proud of me, "That's my girl! I'll wait in the living room for you." He turned and walked away, leaving me standing there wishing I hadn't opened the door. I sighed and walked back into my room. I went over to my dresser and dug around for my swimsuit. When I found it, I pulled it out. It was a bikini. I frowned. Annie got it for me, saying that it will look good on me. The tags were still on it, I haven't even tried it on. Never had any excuse for it, I don't like to swim. I sighed again and slipped the bikini on. After taking off the tags and fastening the strings, I looked at myself through the mirror. Some guys at my old school mentioned I would look good in a swimsuit like this. Even Annie said that. I never saw it though. But now looking at myself, I could actually see my curvy body. I never noticed it before. With my long blonde hair that cascaded all the way down to my waist, I think I could actually pass for a decent looking girl. I never thought of myself as pretty though, not at all.

I put on a large grey t-shirt as a cover up, grabbed a book, and ran out of my room. I met my dad down in the living room where he was standing in his swimsuit. He had the biggest smile on his face when he saw me. "You ready?"

I nodded grouchily and followed him out the front door into our tiny neighborhood. Oddly enough, none of the kids were outside playing soccer or anything. I don't even think anyone was even in their houses. I had a weird feeling but I shrugged it off and followed my dad as we walked out to the car. The beach, which is called Copacabana or something like that, was about a fifteen minute drive from our house. Too far for me to walk. As I got in my dad's car, I suddenly had that feeling again. Someone was watching me. I glanced over my shoulder but found no one standing behind me. I just couldn't shake that feeling though, it was so freaky. I looked around, trying to find that face. I _knew _there was someone standing close by, watching me. Just like last night with the window. Oh, how I wish I had my metal baseball bat with me now.

"Hey, are you getting in or are you just gonna stand there all day?" My dad called from the driver's seat. I inwardly sighed and glanced back over to where my bedroom window was. As I did so, I swear, out of the corner of my eye, just for a split second, she was there.

The lady with the long dark blue cloak was standing in my bedroom, watching me through the window.

* * *

I don't know how I'm still alive. I'm almost positive I had a heart attack. The last thing I remember was seeing _her _and then everything went completely black. I guess I fainted or something. I am laying on the living room couch right now, my dad sitting in the recliner, snoring away. I let out the smallest whimper and my dad was awake right away and by my side. My dad never was a heavy sleeper.

"Lola? Can you hear me?" My dad whispered softly. I looked at him with my tired, lazy eyes.

"Dad?" I said hoarsely.

My dad wrapped his arms around me in a warm hug. "I'm so glad you're okay sweetheart. What happened?"

I didn't answer him at first. I just took some deep breaths and tried to relax. Then I decided telling him about the lady in my room would be pointless. He'd never believe me. He'd make up some logical excuse for it and move on. So instead of telling him the truth, I said, "I don't know, I think I was just hungry. We didn't really eat breakfast you know."

My dad sighed in relief, "Oh. Well you looked like you saw a ghost." Yup. That pretty much sums it up. "I'll fix you up something to eat. Why don't you go upstairs and get dressed.?"

I looked down at my body and noticed I still had my swimsuit on. "I'm guessing we're not going to the beach anymore?"

He shook his head softly, "No, I think you need to rest." He patted my head and walked into the kitchen.

I laid there for a while, just taking everything in. Who is that lady? How did she get in the house? Was she in there the whole time, watching me sleep? I shuddered at that thought. But the more questions I asked myself, the more scared and confused I got. Why was that lady in _my _room? What does she want with me? My head started to pound from all the questions. I winced and rubbed my temples gently. What scared me the most was that I would have to go in my room. My heart began to pound. No, I'm not going in there ever again. I sighed, but I have to. It was my room after all and I would have to face that women sooner or later. Maybe I'll get lucky and she won't be there. Fat chance.

I groaned and pushed myself into a sitting position, holding onto my aching head. Once it stopped throbbing, I stood up. I suddenly felt dizzy, like the whole room was spinning. I sat back down and held my eyes shut, waiting for the dizzy spell to go away. When it did I decided to give it another shot and stand up again. I did just that and was thankful to see the room not rotating. I slowly and cautiously walked down the hall, in the direction of my room. When I saw my door my heart started racing again. That feeling also came back. She was in there. I could feel her. I swallowed thickly and stood in front of the door, just staring at the knob. My entire body screamed run away now, but my mind told me to open the door. I must be stupid because I listened to my mind.

When I opened the door, the feeling got stronger. There was a presence in this room and it wasn't a good one. I couldn't seem to stop trembling. I slowly stepped into the room and went for my baseball bat immediately. I grabbed it and held it closely in a threatening manner. My knuckles were going white from clutching it so hard. My eyes scanned the room slowly and carefully for any sign of movement. There was nothing. All was silent. It wasn't until I felt warm, moist air brushing against the back of my neck like a stalker's breath that I actually began to stiffen. A shiver curled through the hairs on the back of my neck and cascaded down my backbone. She was right behind me. I was frozen on the spot. There was a rancid breath that entered through my nostrils. It was enough to make my nose crimple up in disgust. I took a deep, shaky breath and closed my eyes. Then I did the stupidest thing a seventeen year old girl could do.

I turned around.

* * *

Ever had that feeling that you were trapped in something and you couldn't get out? When me and Annie were younger, we'd play hide and seek and there was this one time where I hid in my old toy box. My mom, who didn't realize it, set a heavy box on knick-knacks on top of the toy box. No matter how hard I pushed, it wouldn't open. I wasn't strong enough. I was trapped in there for a good hour before I was able to get out. I remember that feeling I had. Full out panic! I literally thought I was going to die in there.

That's how I feel now. Standing here, in _my _room, with the same lady who gave me that freaky book. The crazy lady who had me so scared in the library. She was standing in front of me, once again shoving the same book in my face. I was so terrified I made the awful mistake of dropping my bat. Nice one Lola. I stared at the lady in horror as her mouth turned down into a deep frown.

"You didn't read it." She growled in a whisper.

I had nothing to say. There was no way I could speak. Again, I was speechless.

"You have till tonight at midnight to read it, or something unspeakable will happen to you." She tilted her head to the side, as if she was looking at me in curiosity. That gesture almost made me pass out. Especially since I still couldn't see her eyes. She probably didn't even have any. The lady suddenly ran past me and towards the window. "This will be your last chance." She hissed before climbing out the window. I don't understand how it was open, I was almost positive I locked it last night. I stood there, keeping my gaze focused on the disappearing form in the window. Everything was silent. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move. I was too petrified to do anything else. I looked down at the book in my hands. Once again, I was stuck in the same position I was in at the library. I didn't know what to do.

I ambled over to the window as calmly as possible and shut it, making sure it was locked this time. I threw myself on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. What was I suppose to do? I didn't want to read the book, but what is this 'unspeakable' thing that will happened to me if I don't read it? It was all just way too conflicting. Maybe I should just read it and get it over with? But what will happen if I read it? I couldn't stand it any longer, I got up with the book still in my hands and walked over to my door. It was time to tell dad.

I found him in the kitchen, preparing a tray of food on the table. I breathed in the sweet smell of chicken and sausage gumbo. My other favorite meal made only by my dad himself. He noticed me and smiled, "Food time!"

I smiled and sat down across from him. I took a piece of chicken and chewed on it, mentally musing myself on how to tell him about the lady. The room was silent except for the soft sound of us chewing our meat. After a few minutes I finally said, "Dad, I need to tell you something…" I nervously traced my fingers around the book on my lap.

"What?" He asked picking up another piece of chicken.

I sighed through my nose and held up the book so that he could see it. "I have a problem."

His eyes shifted from me to the book confusedly. Then he asked softly, "What kind of problem?"

I took a deep breath and looked away. I had no idea how to tell him without it coming out all crazy. _Why are you doing this? He's not going to believe you. _But he's my dad, he's got to believe me. _He doesn't have to believe you, you just want him to. _Well, yeah because I don't know what to do and I need someone to help me. _You can try but it won't do anything. _I sighed heavily, I hate my inner voice.

"Lola? Is there something wrong?"

"No." Yes.

"Are you sure?"

I took another deep breath and just stared at him. Maybe he would believe. But what if he doesn't? What if he puts me in a mental hospital because he thinks I have mental issues? Maybe that's true. I could be imagining this lady…only one way to find out. "There's this lady who gave me this book and told me to read it at midnight or something unspeakable will happen to me!" I said all that as fast as I could, hoping that he might not hear me.

"What?" Ha, I totally guessed he was going to say that.

"There's this lady…" I said a bit slower, "and she gave me this book, telling me to read it at midnight. If I don't, something unspeakable will happen to me. I don't know what to do dad! I mean, what if-"

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa!" He stopped me, holding his hands out. The expression on his face showed immense confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"Dad! Weren't you listening?" I groaned in frustration. "Let me put it like this, when we went to the library yesterday, this old lady came up to me with this book and she told me to read it at midnight. You with me so far?" He nodded and was about to speak but I cut him off, "Hold all questions till the end please." He snapped his mouth shut and I continued, "I was too scared to read it so I didn't and now the lady, who was just in my room, threatened me saying that if I didn't read it _tonight _at midnight, something unspeakable will happen to me. What. Do. I. Do?"

There was a long silence. My dad just stared at me with a blank expression. No response. No answers. We stared at each other for a while, waiting for the other to say something. Finally he shook his head with a frown and stood up, "Lola, I think you need to get some sleep." With that said, he turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving me sitting there, with the same question whirling through my mind: what was I going to do?

* * *

_Well that was helpful! _I mentally chided myself as I paced my bedroom. I knew my dad wouldn't believe me. He never does. If I told him I saw a ghost, he'd think it was just my imagination. It's always my imagination. I pondered my options. I could ask Annie for help but she would probably say the same thing my dad said. So with her and my dad off the list, that leaves…no one. Once again, I'm left alone.

In a situation like this, it makes me wish my mom was here. She'd believe me. She'd help me. That's just the kind of person she was. No matter how crazy the idea sounded, she always understood me. Unlike my dad. He never understands me. Of course, I never understand him either.

I stared at the book in my hands. I really hated this thing. Why did that lady have to come to me? Why was I so special? I groaned and threw the book on the floor angrily. As I did so, a loud crackle of thunder ripped through the dark, luminous clouds outside. Of course it had to storm today. I looked over at my clock and read 10:35pm. Wow, that late already? I groaned in annoyance and threw myself on the bed. Why am I freaking out about this? Maybe I should just read it and get it over with. But what would happen? What if an alien appears in my room in the morning? I don't want to be responsible for some strange extraterrestrial living in my room and not know what to do with it. I saw that in a movie once…

I could hear the rain collide with the roof in a loud pinging clamor. Mix that with the roar of thunder and the blinding flashes of lightning illuminating my room and you get an even more unhappy girl. All of a sudden I had that feeling again. _She _was here. Probably coming back to tell me to read the book. Can't she give it a rest? I looked around my room. The darkness of the clouds overhead made my room darker and more menacing. I reached for my bedside lamp to turn it on but it wouldn't turn on. We lost power. Grrrrreat. Now there's a creepy lady somewhere nearby and I can't see to fend her off. This is totally rigged.

Sitting there on my bed, I could feel the presence get stronger. I had the sudden urge to flee. I wanted out! I wanted to go to my dad and I wanted him to hold me and tell me everything would be okay. But I'm seventeen now, and I haven't done that since I was ten. I know she was watching me. Somewhere, either inside my room or outside, she was waiting for me to pick that book up and read it. I looked over at the clock that read 10:54pm. I still had time. What's the worse that could happen? Maybe it won't be so bad. My dad's voice outside my door made me jump.

"Lola, are you awake?"

"Yeah!" I think my voice squeaked a little bit.

"We lost power. I'm going to go find the electrical box. Stay put." His footsteps fainted as he walked down the hall.

I took a deep breath, trying to slow down my rapid heartbeat, and looked over at the book. Okay, I only get one shot at this, so I might as well do it now. As I stood up, the presence got more excited. I could feel her watching me with that gruesome smile of hers. She's been waiting for me to do this…but why? Why was that lady so insistent that _I _read the book? Was it because I like to read? No that can't be the only reason. There's got to be something else. Looking at the book, I could feel myself tremble again. It got worse when I picked it up. Why does this book scare me so much? Why does that lady scare me so much? Why can't I be brave like Annie? She'd read this in a heartbeat without any fear. Oh, how I wish she was here.

I glanced up at the window. The lightning was becoming more constant and the rain was getting harder. For a split second, I swear I saw her. Outside in the rain, watching me. That's enough of this. I walked over to the window and opened it, throwing the book as hard as I could at her. "Here! Take your stupid book back! I don't want it!" I screamed over the rain. Then, I shut the window, locked it, and closed the curtains. Besides the storm, everything was silent, the presence was gone, and a small feeling of relief washed through me.

Little did I know, I was going to pay for this later.

* * *

_ All right! You guys can probably guess what will happen next! So I don't really need to say anything here! Haha how am I doing in 1st person? Like it? Hate it? Let me know in some reviews and I'll see ya next chapter! :)_


	3. Chapter 3

I don't know what happened after I went to bed last night. All I remember was getting rid of the book and then everything after that was a blur. Let me just explain something, you see, ever since I was a baby I've been a heavy sleeper. I've never really had any nightmares or bad dreams to wake me up. I only really wake up when someone physically wakes me or when a bright light is shined in my eyes. But all through the night I rarely wake up.

Now I'm wishing I kind of did.

I slowly shifted my body and heard a slight rustle underneath me. That's odd. Not only that, but I hear other noises. Like, not normal noises you'd hear in a bedroom. These were like animal noises. Animals? I still had my eyes closed but from what I felt and heard I knew I wasn't in my bedroom anymore.

I could hear two very deep male voices talking nearby. I couldn't make out what they were saying because everything was still a blur to me. I slowly peeled my eyes open and looked around. All I saw was a green blur. I craned my neck so I could look to my right and I could make out what looked like a small yellow blob standing next to a larger red and gray blob. Hm, this is…odd. The voices seemed to get more excited as I shifted my body again. I blinked my eyes a few times to try and get clarity in my vision and when I did, everything was becoming much more clear. I was in a forest, not my bedroom, a _forest_! Of course, a bunch of questions swirled around my brain. How did I get here? Why am I not in my bedroom? Where is my dad? Is he worried? Probably.

Something red flashed by my face and landed on my chest. I looked down and saw a red and gray bird on my chest. My first response to this? I screamed and crawled away as fast as I could. My voice was caught in my throat otherwise I probably would've insulted it. The bird fluttered over and landed next to a small yellow bird. The only weird thing about the yellow bird is that it was wearing a bottle cap on it's head. What the heck? I crawled backwards until my back hit a tree truck, sending a few leaves floating into the air. I started hyperventilating. This is what happens when I'm around birds. I start freaking out. I don't know why. I guess I'm just weird.

"Hey hey. It's okay, don't freak out lady." Okay, now I know I'm dreaming. That yellow bird just talked to me. Nuh uh. This isn't real. "Why does this girl look so freaked out?" The yellow one said to the red and gray one.

"I don't know. Maybe she's lost or something…" They both looked up at me with curiosity.

"H-how c-c-can you talk?" I sputtered out my only response. I didn't know what else to say. This is a dream…isn't it?

The birds looked at each other in confusion and the yellow one said, "…same way you do?" It was more of a question than a statement. I shook my head in disbelief. There was _no way _this was happening. This had to be dream. Please let this be a dream.

I looked around frantically and my eyes landed on a large oak tree a few feet to my left. I walked over to it and banged my head on the truck, hoping that would wake me up from this horrible dream. When it didn't work, I banged my head harder…and harder…and harder. Finally the large red bird appeared beside me and exclaimed, "Whoa lady! You crazy or something?" I stopped slamming my head and held it painfully.

"Ow…" I hissed through my teeth.

The yellow, bottle cap wearing bird flew over and landed on a low branch that was only a couple inches higher than me. He held his wings up and said calmly, "Maybe we're getting off on the wrong talon, allow us to introduce ourselves. I'm Nico, I'm a canary. This is Pedro, he's a red crested cardinal. What's your name?"

I stared at the two birds, Nico and Pedro. They were both small birds-well Nico was small whereas Pedro was kinda…plump. They both had big, brown eyes that seemed to be filled with eagerness and excitement. They were staring at me, as if they were waiting for me to say something. That's when I realized they had asked me a question. "Oh um…I'm Lola."

The yellow bird, Nico, smiled and said, "That's a pretty name."

"Tha-" I was about to thank him when I suddenly realized this was a _bird _I was talking to. "Wait wait wait! You're birds…you're not suppose to be able to talk! You go 'tweet tweet' all over the place, you don't talk!" I probably looked desperate, which I was. I couldn't wrap my head around all this.

Nico and Pedro exchanged confused glances and shook their heads. I glanced around at my surroundings again and whispered to myself, "Where am I?"

"Oh you're in a forest!" Pedro exclaimed with a beak full of happiness.

"SHUT UP! You're not suppose to talk remember?" I just about screamed in frustration. This whole thing didn't make any sense and with two talking birds, it's just makes it all the more worse. Pedro immediately shut his beak and cowardly hid behind Nico. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "Look, I don't know where I am, I don't know how I got here, and I don't understand how you can talk to me. I mean, you're birds! I've never heard of-"

As I was ranting, I couldn't help but notice Nico and Pedro look at each other with corresponding smirks. Then they both fluttered up and landed on each of my shoulders, effectively shutting me up. They probably could feel me stiffen because I swore I heard them both snicker.

"Calm yourself down Lola, ain't no big deal. So we can talk. What's the diff? Girl, you gotta CHA-HILL OUT!" Pedro stated in a strange manner. What he said wasn't strange, they way he was saying it was. He had this weird tone to his voice, kind of like something you'd hear at a rap battle. It was almost enough to make me laugh…_almost. _

"Yeah," Nico's voice brushed my ear, "It's okay! All birds talk, we're not the only ones." I stared off in space, still in shock. We does he mean by that? I've never heard a bird talk.

"No, to humans, birds don't talk." I stated matter-of-factly.

"Well then maybe you're special or something!" Pedro alleged.

"Special?" I questioned this. Something about that word freaked me out…

"Yeah, like maybe you're gifted because you can talk to birds while others can't!" Pedro flew off my shoulder and floated in front of my face. I stared at him confused. Gifted? That doesn't make sense. I was never able to talk to birds before, why can I-wait a minute…the book! It all started to make sense. I didn't read the book last night.

"So _this _is the unspeakable thing…" I whispered to myself.

"What?" Pedro gave me a weird look but I ignored him. That lady tried to warn me, but I ignored her. That gemstone on that lady's necklace must have a special power to allow me to talk to birds. That still doesn't explain how I got all the way out here in the middle of the forest. I looked around again. Though this isn't my ideal place to be, I must say it is very beautiful. The trees and greenery were so vivid, it almost made my eyes hurt. Everything was quiet, aside from Pedro and Nico, there wasn't a soul in sight. The only noise was the soft rustle of the leaves and the whistling of the wind. As I breathed in the fresh smell of moss, I thought of my dad. He would love it out here. He's always been a nature freak, now I understand why. I sighed through my nose. My dad was probably worried sick. I can't imagine the look on his face when he came to my room only to find me gone. My heart ached at the very thought.

The sound of Nico's voice brought me back to reality, "So…what now?" I glanced over at him and my eyes shifted as I realized he was looking at me.

"Well I…I need to get home." I frowned, "But I don't know where I am."

Pedro appeared in front of me again and he asked, "Where do you live girly?"

"Rio."

He flipped in the air with a smile and exclaimed, "Oh good! Not far at all! We're just outside the city."

That made me feel a little better. I was prepared to have a panic attack if I found out I was in some other country. "How do I get back? I don't know my way there."

"Good question. Pedro, you wanna take this one?" Nico said from my shoulder. I stared blankly at the cardinal as he nodded and flew upwards at an impracticable speed for a bird of his size. When he passed the canopy of the trees, he looked around and then zoomed back down to us.

"The city is in that direction." Pedro pointed and did another flip. I swear this bird has more energy than a puppy.

"But what if I get lost?" I said pessimistically. I always did have to question every single angle of a situation.

Nico hovered next to Pedro and smiled crookedly, "We can accompany you if you want."

"You mean take me home?" I raised my eyebrow. For some reason these two didn't look like the helpful type.

He shrugged his small shoulders, "Yeah, it's not like you're gonna be able to get there by yourself and we were headed there anyways."

I pondered this for a moment and then asked, "Why were you headed to the city?"

"To party it up!" Pedro cheered. This only increased my confusion. Birds party? No way. They must've noticed my questioning expression because they both laughed.

"We'll explain later." Nico said. Even though I was still baffled, I shrugged it off for now.

* * *

This is the _worst _day of my life. Walking through the forest wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't still in my pajamas and had actual shoes on. The only thing I had covering my feet were a pair on thin socks, that didn't help my feet very well. Not only that, but Pedro would not stop talking. I tuned him out a long time ago but it was getting pretty annoying. Nico was quietly resting on my shoulder, I wondered if he had tuned Pedro out too. I drew in a deep breath and said loudly, "By any chance could you stop talking for two seconds?"

Pedro looked at me and suddenly burst out, "I'm hungry!"

I was about to glare at him but realization dawned on me and I realized that I was hungry too. "Is there any food in this forest?"

"Depends on what you're hungry for." Nico replied.

I thought for a moment and then chuckled as I said, "Coffee."

Nico snorted humorously, "You and me both."

I looked over at him in surprise. "You drink coffee?"

"Sometimes. If I'm able to get in the coffee shop without being noticed."

I contemplated this and grinned. There's a lot more about these two than meets the eye. I stole another quick glance at Nico and noticed the bottle cap on his head. I wonder why he wears that? Is there a significance to it? I was about to voice my thoughts when Pedro suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "FOOD!" I watched him as he flew over to a bush with small blue berries covering it. He forced about five or six berries in his beak and I watched in amusement as he tried to swallow.

"There's your food for ya." Nico fluttered off my shoulder and over to the bush.

I frowned and followed them, saying, "What if they're poisonous to humans or something?" I had no idea if birds and humans can eat the same thing; I'm not like my dad.

"They're just blueberries. You can eat them girl!" Pedro smiled a mouthful of berries.

I chuckled a little and sauntered over to the bush. Picking off a berry, I cautiously put it on my tongue and chewed it. I recognized the taste. My dad sometimes make blueberry pancakes in the morning. As usual, they're the best. I picked off a couple more and put them in my mouth, savoring the sweet taste. We ate in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the quietness, when all of a sudden, the berry bush started to move. Literally, it was moving to right at a slow and cautious pace. Nico, Pedro, and I exchanged confused glances as we watched the bush waddle away. Okay, now I'm positive this is a dream. Talking birds? Walking plants? I'm going crazy! I looked at Nico and pointed at the bush, "Why is that bush moving?"

Nico shrugged with a perplexed expression and Pedro just shook his head, at loss for words. Finally, the bush stopped. We all stared at it, waiting for something to happen. It didn't take long for us to find out what that something was. A small, red fox hobbled out of the bush, looked at me, and then ran away. My eyes went from the bush to where the fox disappeared and back to the bush. My bewildered expression intensified. What just happened? Why am I so confused? I looked at Nico and Pedro who looked just as confused as I felt. "Did…you see-"

"That fox? Yeah…" Nico said, eyes wide and mystified.

After a moment of more silent confusion, I said, "Should we just-"

"Leave? Yeah…"

"Okay."

* * *

"No no no you got it all wrong! She's only Hannah Montana when she wears the wig!" Apparently, birds also watch T.V because they asked me who Hannah Montana was and now I was trying to explain it to them.

"Oooh!" Pedro sang understandingly, "So when she doesn't have the wig on she's Miley?"

"Yes! There ya go, you got it." I nodded.

"Now when ever we watch the show we'll understand what's happening!" Nico smiled.

I laughed at their enthusiasm and asked, "So how many times do actually get to watch T.V.?"

"Well we could every night if we wanna cuz the store closes at eleven." Nico pointed out.

"But we don't, cuz we have lives." Pedro chuckled from my shoulder.

"But if we're bored, we'll sneak in and watch movies and play games and listen to music! They have everything in that store!"

I grinned at Nico and said, "I find that funny how you two sneak into an electronics store and use their stuff without getting caught!"

"Awesome right?" Pedro pretended to brush fake dirt off his shoulders and added, "We're cool like that."

I rolled my eyes a little at his conceited attitude and said sarcastically, "What, do you guys have your own personal cell phones?" I laughed but immediately stopped when I realized something.

"Nah, we're not that cool."

"I cannot _believe _I didn't think about that before!" I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. "I can call my dad!"

I quickly dialed his number, heart rate sky rocketing. I drew a deep breath as I pressed the call button. _He's gonna be furious with me. _I waited the ringing to start when a loud beep emitted from it instead. I looked at my phone and suddenly realized I had no service. "Shoot! No service." I sighed and held my phone up higher, hoping that would help. It didn't. I looked over at Pedro and suddenly got an idea. Smiling, I said, "Hey, Pedro. You wanna help me with something?"

* * *

"Like this?" Pedro called down to us, holding the phone with his talons. He was flapping his wings as hard as he could to stay airborne.

"Yes, that's perfect! Now, check to see if you can get service!" I yelled.

"How do I do that?" He shouted. I could tell he was running out of breath.

"Just look at the bar thingy in the corner of the screen!"

"What bar thingy?"

Before I could answer, before I could even blink, the phone slipped out of his talons and plummeted to the ground. You can probably guess what happened next. It exploded. Not literally but pretty close. Well, there goes that plan…and my phone. Nico and I stared at the scattered remains of my cell phone when Pedro fluttered down and looked at me apologetically. I sighed heavily, "It's okay…it's not like I needed that…" I whispered bitterly.

Pedro sighed in relief, "Oh good! I don't feel so bad then." I glared at him and Nico snickered.

"Come on. Let's just keep moving. I'm sure your dad will be fine." The canary smiled up at me softly and I couldn't help but feel touched by his friendliness. I shook my head a little. _No, don't warm up to him. He's a bird. Just focus on getting home. _

I took a deep breath and said, "Okay."

* * *

_All right so you probably have a few questions. Like, what's with the random fox? Haha that fox is actually important if you can believe it. If you can guess why you get a cookie! :) So what'd you think? Remember this is just the beginning! I have lots of plans for Lola before she makes it home! So stay tuned for the next chapter and please review! :) Thanks ya'll! Oh and before I forget, you should check out my co-written story Diamond in the Rough also written by EmmerzK! Check it out if you haven't yet! If you like this story then you are gonna LOVE that one! ;)_


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